This invention relates to bearings and specifically to a unitized sealed angular contact bearing.
The upper mount of a McPherson strut normally includes a unitized sealed bearing. Such a bearing must accommodate thrust loads in both directions combined with some radial loads, loads which will change direction quite often. Since the speed of relative rotation between the bearing races will be relatively slow, such bearings can be formed with unground raceways. It is also desirable from a cost standpoint to form the bearing races by a method in which the inner and outer races, of which there are two for each bearing, are stamped from a single piece of metal and then split in a final step to create a minimum of scrappage. Bearings assembled from races so produced have a circumferentially extending gap on each side between each respective inner and outer race which must be sealed.
Unitized seal bearings are shown in the prior art. The bearings shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Harrington 2,823,967 and Keleshian 3,800,384 each show a bearing with a circumferentially extending gap on each side thereof between the inner and outer races. In these structures, the bearing is sealed with a flat annular seal which is stretch fitted against the inner race and must turn therewith in order to make sealing contact with the outer race under the centrifugal force created by the bearing rotation. Such a seal is not suitable for a bearing as described which experiences low speed of rotation between the races as well as frequent change in direction of relative rotation. The bearing shown in Keleshian also requires a separate shield to exclude particulates.